KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 5, 2025

A program where takeout food containers at Kennesaw State University dining halls are returned, washed, and reused has seen its effectiveness skyrocket through use of a phone app.

KSU’s Takeout Club program has been in existence for years, but when dining services managers pivoted to an app called Fill it Forward, the return rate for meal containers increased significantly. The system lets dining managers keep accurate track of the inventory of containers in circulation, as well as letting them and Takeout Club members know how much waste is being diverted from garbage dumps – more than a half ton so far.

For its successes, KSU’s University Dining recently joined several other esteemed organizations in earning the  Changemakers Award from Fill it Forward.

“Before the Fill it Forward app, the Takeout Club was on the honor system to return the containers,” said Katelyn Boyd, meal plan manager for University Dining. “There wasn’t really a way for us to manage that container inventory or guarantee that students were bringing them back.”

The containers are durable and can be reused for years, only needing to be replaced if they break, Boyd said.

The key to the app and container tracking system is a QR code that’s scanned each time a container of food is served to a Takeout Club member, and again when they return it. Since Fill it Forward was added to the Takeout Club, food containers are returned more than 96 percent of the time, and the program has kept more than a half ton of waste out of local landfills, including almost 10,000 single use containers.

When students sign up to participate in the Takeout Club, there are several online tools including a tutorial and guide to help them learn how the program works with the Fill it Forward app.

The Takeout Club is just one of the sustainability efforts undertaken by University Dining. Food waste from dining hall operations is turned into compost, and fresh produce from the KSU Field Station is used across multiple stations in The Commons on the Kennesaw Campus. University Dining is also starting a new partnership with CARE Services to create a garden to supply fresh produce for its student food banks.

– Story by Gary Tanner

Photo submitted

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.